Category — Media

The Great Media Depression

The Great Depression was the darkest economic period in American history – yet it was consistently cited by the mainstream media as a point of comparison in 2008. Network news shows referred to the Great Depression 42 times just in the first four months of the year, nearly three times per week. [snip]

Given this news, perhaps the depression is relegated to just one sector: the media

[snip]
Half a dozen newspapers said they would slash payrolls, one said it would outsource all its printing, and Tribune Co., one of the biggest publishers in the country, said it might sell its iconic headquarters tower in Chicago and the building that houses the Los Angeles Times. [snip]

Talk about bringing this on oneself. It just took time.

Tim Russert, host of Meet the Press, has died of a heart attack at the age of 58. He was one of the few mainstream media commentators that I respect. He will be missed.

Something like this really makes you think about how fast it can all end.

My condolences go out to his family. May he rest in peace.

The media can’t explain Bill Clinton’s fall from grace:

It’s going to be tougher for her husband. The most talented and resilient politician of this generation has damaged his standing with gaffes, political miscalculations and a series of paranoiac, volcanic eruptions.

A common question these days among political heavyweights — including longtime Clinton devotees — is this: How can a guy this smart act so dumb?

The “most talented” politician of his generation never exceeded 50% of the popular vote in either of his presidential runs. And that was with Ross Perot undermining the Republicans on both occasions. His presidency is largely devoid of any long-term, legacy building policy wins. He faced few real challenges, and the major decisions he did make, like ignoring bin Laden and terrorism, were completely incorrect. At best, he was a philanderer, and at worst, he was a rapist. His campaign took money from the Chinese and provided the technology corridor through which their nuclear capabilities soared. And all the while his administration and wife aimlessly bounced from one scandal to another.

The media built the Clinton mystique not on fact, but their own thankfulness that he’d delivered them from 12 years of Republican presidents. Bill Clinton didn’t wake up stupid yesterday. He’s always been this way. It just wasn’t convenient to admit it then.

The media is far to busy building castles in the clouds for Barack Obama to be bothered with Bill Clinton. That explains Bill’s bitterness at the press far more than anything else.  It’s tough going from number one to also ran.